Introduction

The Defender XD ‘Wolf’ W.M.I.K from HobbyBoss is a great little kit that hit the market about two years ago. The Wolf W.M.I.K has its faults but there are a fair few nice upgrades on the market now to correct the short comings and make it shine as a realistic scale model. In this review I will look at the Eduard photo etched set that has been available for some time now, and that not only adds detail to the model but also corrects one of the most obvious errors.

Contents

The set from Eduard consists of two photo etched frets and a clear film with dial detail printed on it.

Review

Starting with the packaging of the product which is supplied in the form of a plastic film bag with a reseal able flap at the bottom of the bag. The photo etched frets are packaged on opposite sides of two stiff cards in the bag, these card inserts are there to help prevent bending damage to the product. Anyone who has purchased an Eduard photo etched product before will be familiar with this method.

This set begins by adding replacement detail for the head (rocker cover) and the air filter housing, the moulded detail is not easy to remove from the header as the minimal lead detail is raised higher than the detail you are going to remove. If the engine is not going to be visible as will be the case with most models these parts do not need to be utilised. The next area that is looked at is the seat belts, these are moulded on the seats of the vehicle supplied in the kit but these will improve the detail and also allow the modeller to show them worn by any figures the modeller decides to add if required.

The rear of the model now gets looked at; this covers various details both large and small, the majority of the parts requires removal of the moulded on detail and it will be up to the modeller to decide how far they wish to go with the photo etched parts. One area that will be greatly improved by the set from Eduard is the rear stowage basket where you have the option of replacing the bins straps and the attachment points.

The rear compartment gets looked at next by Eduard; the detail that I particularly like is the ring detail around the gunners hatch and the mounting details for the sand channels. The sand channels themselves are not supplied with the set from Eduard however the base model parts should be fine with a little clean up. The CIP panel is a good inclusion if not an overly important addition to me. The doors are also supplied for accessing the storage area on each side of the model, however unless you intend to show these open for some reason they will not really supply any great improvement to my mind.

The set now moves onto the front cab detail and it is this area that gets the most attention. It begins by providing replacement foot pedals which are an improvement but not a major one, next you get to replace the dial detail which is a good improvement. The brackets for what I believe represent the radio and a GPS system is also supplied. The detail on the roll frame above the front crew compartment also gets some attention but which to my mind adds finesse rather than detail. The next area covered is the front seat frames and Eduard actually improves accuracy here by showing the removal of a portion of the driver’s seat frame rather than adding or replacing it. It is also here that the set corrects an error in the kit which is the personal weapon storage clamps.

The next area looked at is the spare wheel and tool storage clamps on the bonnet and wings. The tool stowage clamps are a great addition and will improve the detail and general appearance of the finished model. The wheel mount is something I will not use on this model as I could not find a single vehicle with a wheel stowed on the bonnet, I cannot say it is wrong as I do know that other variants of Land Rover do or did have wheels stored in this position.

The 50cal now gets quite an overhaul with this set replacing the firing handles and sighting system both front and rear of the weapon, some of the mounting structures are also replaced. The ammunition bin and mounting bracket is also supplied for the gun, a partial ammunition belt is supplied to help the look of the weapon. The 7.62mm GPMG also gets a look in with the ammunition bin and another suitable ammunition belt, the weapons tripod and rear sight also get replaced along with a weapon sling.

Conclusion

This product from Eduard could easily be managed without; however it does improve the overall look and finesse of the finished model in my opinion. The biggest correction it makes to my mind is correcting the storage of the personal weapon for the driver and front passenger and which is in an area that is very visible. The cost of the product is not excessive compared with the improvements it makes to the look of the finished kit and so I recommend it is considered.

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